


raindrops.

by AquaWolfGirl



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, One Shot, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-11 22:23:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5643997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquaWolfGirl/pseuds/AquaWolfGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s by sheer dumb luck that she managed to grab an umbrella that morning. She hasn’t carried this purse in weeks, and didn’t think much of it when she grabbed it, merely transferring the essentials before rushing out the door. Only after looking up towards the office window and seeing the grey outside, the trails of water on the windows, did she remember that she’d tucked a small cream umbrella in the side pocket. </p><p>A kind deed of the day turns into a little bit more than Rey expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> threw this together after making a little picture edit for it. i liked the idea of it so much that i decided to write it, and am very happy with how it came out! i might continue it, might not. it seems pretty finished to me, but it all depends on feedback, you know?  
> if anyone has any other modern au ideas, let me know!  
> tumblr link for those with blogs: http://stoptakingmyhandx.tumblr.com/post/136662933611/raindrops-its-by-sheer-dumb-luck-that-she

It’s by sheer dumb luck that she managed to grab an umbrella that morning. She hasn’t carried this purse in weeks, and didn’t think much of it when she grabbed it, merely transferring the essentials before rushing out the door. Only after looking up towards the office window and seeing the grey outside, the trails of water on the windows, did she remember that she’d tucked a small cream umbrella in the side pocket. 

She takes a little pleasure in the way her brown boots splash in the puddles as she leaves the lobby of the skyscraper, toes warm and protected by the leather and her tights. The street is busy with people trying to get out of the rain as she heads towards the train station, but she takes her time as she climbs up the stairs to the platform. She allows herself a little kick as she waits for the train to arrive, and startles when there’s an irritated grunt at one of her larger splashes.

Rey turns to see a man standing just beside and a little behind her, and has to resist the urge to snicker. Whatever dignity he must’ve had as he strolled into his office that morning was long gone. What she’s sure is an expensive wool coat is now drenched, his hands stuffed into the pockets with his head bowed. She notes the long black hair that frames his face pale face, unruly and soaking wet. Water droplets roll off of the strands and down his cheek. It appears he’s been booted out from under the waiting station, a mother and son huddling beneath it as they stare out at the pouring rain. The mother casts occasional grateful glances in his direction, the small toddler pressed to her side in his clear poncho.

She smiles at him, and he glares right back. She raises an eyebrow at him, and he turns, avoiding her gaze, dark eyes instead focusing at the puddle at his feet. She lets her eyes travel down, noting the black suit and the nice Oxfords on his feet. 

Well. This’ll be her good deed for the day, then. 

The girl steps closer to him and raises her umbrella quite a few inches to go above his tall frame. She can feel the rain starting to hit her coat on her right side, the small umbrella no match for the both of them, even as close as she’s standing next to him. Despite how wet he is, she can feel the heat of him against her left shoulder. She can feel the dampness of his coat starting to sink into hers, but pays no mind to it as she holds the umbrella above them both defiantly. 

“It’s a lost cause,” he says, finally, after a moment of stunned silence. “If it’s not ruined, it’s at least a couple hundred dollars at the cleaners.” 

“A ‘thanks’ could’ve sufficed,” she mutters, and just for spite steps out of his space. A mere second later there’s a leather glove, warm and dry, wrapping around the hand that’s holding the umbrella handle. She looks up at him as she’s tugged back into his personal space, tucked closer to him than she was before. 

“I didn’t say it wasn’t appreciated,” he replies smartly, looking down at her. She watches as a drop of water moves down his forehead, between his dark brows and down his long, prominent nose. He’s attractive, in a bit of a strange way, she admits. 

“Well, you’re welcome,” she mutters before looking out over the small expanse before them, the platform being raised quite a bit above the small buildings around them. She turns back to him when she feels a nudge at her elbow, and to her surprise sees a yellow packet being offered to her. She stares at the peanut M&M’s being offered to her, before taking a blue one and popping it into her mouth. She watches as he takes a red between his leather-covered fingers, slipping it between his lips. She takes a green, and he takes a yellow. The rain and general moisture of the air allows for the dye to leave the candy and color her skin, and by the end of it she has rainbow-colored fingers on her left hand. 

“Thanks,” she says, once the last one has been eaten. He nods and leaves the sanctuary of the umbrella to toss the packet in the nearby wastebasket, returning a moment later to press close to her. 

“I accidentally bought the sharing size,” he explains, followed shortly after by, “You’re welcome.” 

She remains close to him, even maybe slightly leaning into him the tiniest bit until the train comes. He leaves their little warm huddle to board the train as she stands there, trying in vain to close the umbrella. She doesn’t want to be the person to take up space on the train with her stupid pokey umbrella, but she can’t manage to close it. She curses softly as she tries to close it, the latch seemingly stuck with rust from previous uses. She can hear the train hissing, about ready to go off when leather-gloved hands are on the handle, covering her own cold fingers. She stares up at him as he fiddles with the latch, and continues to stare as he pulls one of his gloves off with his teeth to get a better grip on the handle. It takes a moment of trying but he manages to get the latch unstuck, and the umbrella manages to collapse shut just as the doors to the train close.   
“Your train-” she starts as the transportation begins to pull away, and he smirks as he takes the umbrella and opens it, holding it above them. 

“There are always others,” he replies with a shrug, an arm wrapping around her and pulling her under the umbrella’s dry circle. She curls into his damp warmth, cheeks flaming. She can feel his eyes on the top of her head, and she looks up to meet them. 

“I’m Ben. Pleasure to meet you,” he says after they look at each other for a few heartbeats, and she finds herself grinning up at him as she feels his hand adjust on her lower back, warm and steady through the material of her coat.

“Rey.”


	2. sunshine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part II of the Rainy Days series, because I love this verse so much and just can't stop.

“Why is it you’re always wet?” 

She resists the urge to smirk as she watches him enter the cafe like a hurricane, a storm of black fabric and pale skin and flinging water droplets. She squeaks when he purposefully flicks his fingers at her when he gets close enough, his skin wet from the rain that had gathered on the cafe’s door handle. He gives her a weak glare before grabbing her wallet and heading towards the counter to order. She could’ve easily been mad, with him snatching her wallet off of the table like that, but judging by his face and attitude today he needs a little treat. And she’s happy to provide. She sits there, waiting with her white mug cupped in her hands, as he orders.

She smiles softly as he settles back down at the table with a mug of hot chocolate in one hand, and an M&M cookie in the other. She outright grins when he pulls a bit of the treat off and bites into it almost violently, candy cracking beneath his canines. 

“Rough day at the office?” she asks, tilting her head at him.

He chews and swallows. “You don’t even want to know.”

She feels her heart skip a beat as she looks at him, this 6’3 man dressed all in black, drinking hot chocolate and eating a cookie. The cafe’s small, and he has to curl himself a bit in the small chair across from her. She can feel his feet encroaching into her footspace, but just tucks her feet underneath of her so that he has a bit more room to spread out. His feet replace the space hers had just been in, and she catches the grateful glance he throws her over the lip of his mug. 

“Hux?” she questions, taking a sip of her green tea. It’s not quite as good as the stuff he has in his apartment, the stupidly good blend that cost him 90 bucks and that she actually feels bad about drinking, but it’s good enough. 

“Hux,” he confirms. He wordlessly offers her a bit of his cookie, and she takes it, smiling softly at him before nibbling at it. She likes to savor every bite, every little nibble - a leftover habit from when times were tough and good food hard to come by. He seems to find it endearing, for some reason, smiling when she takes so much longer to eat than he does and just waiting for her.

“What happened this time?”

“He told me the deadline was earlier than it actually is. I know when the deadline is. It’s not for another month. He wants the next edit by Tuesday. It’s not going to happen. He’s a rotten liar who just wants me to finish early so he can boast about finally getting me to turn something in early.” The small rant is finished with an angry sip of hot chocolate - she’d never known that hot chocolate could be sipped angrily before she met Ben Solo.

“Could you compromise?” she offers. “Get it to him halfway?”

“No.”

“So you’re going to let Hux continue annoying you until the actual deadline.” 

“Yes.” 

“You’re an idiot.” 

Another angry sip of hot chocolate.

She sighs softly, reaching to pick an M&M off of his cookie. He gives her an annoyed look, but doesn’t stop her as she takes the candy and pops it into her mouth. “You know, if you just do what he asks…” 

“Then I’d be giving in.” 

This man was perhaps one of the most stubborn people she’d ever met. And that includes herself. She leans forward, their elbows meeting on the edges of the table. Their foreheads are mere millimeters apart, their lips even closer. “If you give him what he wants, he’ll stop annoying you. But if you give him what he wants, you say it’s giving in. But would you rather him sinking his teeth into your back for another month?” she questions, voice low and even. 

He’s quiet for a moment. She raises an eyebrow at him, waiting for an answer. She can see his mind working, thoughts racing behind those dark eyes. She’s seen it before, too many times to count at this point. She’s seen it late at night, when the light of his laptop casts his face into this strange mix of bright light and dark shadow as he passionately types out another chapter. She’s seen it in the early morning, when his hand finds a pen to be more useful than a keyboard and a paper towel better than a Word document. She’s seen it when he’s looking at her, sometimes, as well. Not often, but sometimes, and she relishes in the fact that she makes his brain tick, and that she isn’t just something pretty to look at.

“I’ll get it to him by next Wednesday,” he decides, the sentence mumbled and his tone defeated. She can feel his words, his breath against her lips, and smiles, closing the small space between them to kiss him chastely. 

“And if he gives you any trouble, you call me and I’ll punch him,” she mutters against his mouth, and she hears his soft laughter as his hand moves up to cup her cheek. 

His skin’s still damp from the rain, but it’s warm from holding his mug, and she hums in soft pleasure as he continues to kiss her. They keep it light, almost innocent seeing as they’re very much in the public eye, but when he pulls back he’s smiling. It’s a rare expression, and she takes a good bit of pleasure in knowing that she’s the main reason he smiles, nowadays. 

“That brighten your day a little bit?” she asks, grinning back at her.

“My little Rey of sunshine,” he replies. 

The line had the possibility of being cute, if it had been anyone else. But instead she sees his smirk and groans - he’s being a cheeky, lovey-dovey, sickening little shit just to annoy her, and he knows it fully well. 

“I wonder how you’re a best selling author when you pull shit like that,” she mutters, and he just continues to smirk as he puts the mug of hot chocolate to her lips. Just for spite and maybe a bit of revenge, she kicks his shin under the table and takes some joy in the way he sputters, hot chocolate coating his upper lip and a bit dripping from his nose. She snorts as he glares at her, and she reaches over to take another bit of his cookie.

“I love you,” she says, as innocent as a lamb as she bites into his treat. 

“And somehow I find myself reciprocating,” he deadpans, taking the remaining bite out of her hand and popping it in his mouth. 

She looks at phone for the time, and moves to stand. “I have to get back,” she says. “Boss should be out of the meeting in 15.” 

“Want me to walk you back?” he offers. It’s a stupid suggestion, considering he doesn’t have much time either, and his office is in the complete opposite direction from hers. However she can’t bring herself to say no, especially not when he’s packing up his cookie and drinking the last sips of his drink in order to follow through. 

“Sure. I’m the one with the umbrella, after all.” 

He finishes packing up and reaches over to tuck the remaining quarter of his cookie into her purse. She clings to his arm as they exit the cafe onto the street, and she pulls her umbrella out from the side pocket. She hands it to him, knowing he could open it far faster than she, and watches as he struggles with the rusted release mechanism for a moment before the umbrella pops open. He tucks her into his side, holding the umbrella above them as they make their way towards her office. 

They’re not perfect. She would’ve much preferred someone to jump in puddles with her instead of someone who complains about his shoes getting wet. She would’ve liked someone who agreed that taking a sick day when it’s this miserable out is totally justified and not at all selfish. And perhaps she would’ve liked someone who looked a bit less like a broody vampire on days like these.   
But she can’t really bring herself to care when his hand finds hers, squeezing lightly with his thumb rubbing against her clammy skin.

He guides her to the front door of her office, stepping aside to stand in the rain for just a moment longer. He goes to give her her umbrella back, but she shakes her head and pushes it back into his hand. “Just come back and pick me up, if it’s still raining when we get off,” she explains. She’s off an hour before him, but she could wait. 

He hesitates, but nods, taking the umbrella. 

“Here.” 

She rummages around in her purse for a moment, pushing aside his cookie and papers and pens and notebooks and electronics to find what she’s looking for. She pulls the yellow packet out and slips it into his coat pocket. 

“They refilled the vending machines this morning. You told me yours were out of them, right? They might be a little crushed from being in my purse,” she offers sheepishly. “But hey, it’s better than-“ 

She’s interrupted by his full lips coming down on hers. He shuts the umbrella and drops it in favor of kissing her more fiercely, one hand cupping the back of her neck and the other finding her waist. She’s getting wet, she knows, and she’s sure her hair will look like hell when she steps back in the office, but damn, he’s a good kisser. Her arms twine around his neck, and she pulls him down to her. 

She pulls away a moment later, shivering in the cold rain. He’s warm, pressed against her front, and once he feels her shiver his other arm moves to wrap around her, pulling her flush against him.

“I love you.” It’s mumbled against her mouth, and she smiles back against his. 

“I love you, too,” she breathes before she pushes him back. “Now go back to Hux.” 

The face he makes at the idea of Hux leaves her just as breathless as their kiss, only this time it’s caused by her full-body laughter that echoes across the wet cement and slick glass buildings.


End file.
